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University of the Philippines Los Baños

Journal Articles

May 2021

Experiences of selected University of the Philippines Los Banos

(UPLB) community members during Martial Law in the Philippines
Lei A. Pangilinan-Jamolin
University of the Philippines Los Baños

Rowena P. de Guzman
University of the Philippines Los Baños

Dan Paolo R. Yema

University of the Philippines Los Baños

Recommended Citation
Pangilinan-Jamolin, Lei A.; de Guzman, Rowena P.; and Yema, Dan Paolo R., "Experiences of selected
University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB) community members during Martial Law in the
Philippines" (2021). Journal Articles. 3949.
https://www.ukdr.uplb.edu.ph/journal-articles/3949

UK
DR
University Knowledge
Digital Repository

For more information, please contact universitylibrary.uplb@up.edu.ph

UP LOS BAÑOS JOURNAL Experiences of Selected University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB)
Community Members during Martial Law in the Philippines
Volume XVIII No. 2 July-December 2020

EXPERIENCES OF SELECTED UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES LOS BAÑOS (UPLB) COMMUNITY

MEMBERS DURING MARTIAL LAW IN THE PHILIPPINES

Lei A. Pangilinan-Jamolin1, Rowena P. de Guzman2, Dan Paolo R. Yema3

1
Assistant Professor of Sociology, Department of Social Sciences, University of the Philippines Los Baños, College,
Laguna
2
Assistant Professor of Sociology, Department of Social Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the
Philippines Los Baños, College, Laguna
3
Assistant Professor of Psychology, Department of Social Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the
Philippines Los Baños, College, Laguna and a licensed Clinical Psychologist and Certified Mental Health First Aid
responder

E-mail: lapangilinan@up.edu.ph (Corresponding author)

Received 11 May 2020
Accepted for publication 20 September 2020

ABSTRACT
Martial Law in 1972 has always been a crucial part of Philippine history and it is important for Filipinos to learn and
understand what happened during that period and how military rule made an impact on the country. People have
different views of Martial Law; even students of the University of the Philippines Los Baños, who are expected to be
critical of social issues, also have different perceptions. This research is an attempt to make young Filipinos know
about the effects of Martial Law and to help protect the young minds from historical revisionism. This research aims
to present the different experiences of selected UPLB community members during the implementation of Martial
Law in the country. Specifically, it describes the life of the participants before and during the Martial Law period and
how its implementation affected them. It uses case study as the research design. In-depth interviews were
conducted among 17 participants and thematic analysis was done to make sense of the data. It was reported that
much of these experiences centered on their family, academics, work/livelihood, and their perceived quality of life.
Their Martial Law experience affected their current view of the Philippine government. They feel that the present
condition of the country is similar to what had happened during the Marcos Administration. Extrajudicial killings and
social inequality are still rampant. Power is held by those in government position and those who are in the upper
echelons of society. What they have experienced in the past has made them more critical of the Philippine
government.

Keywords: government, history, human rights, Martial Law, social movements

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Volume XVIII No. 2 July-December 2020
INTRODUCTION
The Philippines has a rich political and
economic history. After being colonized for
centuries, it gained its independence and was
able to establish its own form of government.
The country was seen as one of the most
advanced in Asia in the 1960s. In fact, it was
deemed a model of development, second only
to Japan (Hays, 2015). During that time, when
South Korea was a land of peasants, the
Philippines was already one of Asia’s industrial
powerhouses (Hays, 2015). Many goods were
being produced in the country; it even
processed raw materials and had assembly
plants for automobiles, television, and
appliances (Hays, 2015).
In the 1970s, the economy of the Philippines
declined. It was left behind by other
neighboring countries (Hays, 2015). The
country lost what it was able to achieve in the
1950s and 1960s because of corruption in
government, cronyism, and mismanagement
of resources (Hays, 2015). It has been ruled by
political leaders who have different interests
and goals. It is apparent in the case of the
Philippines that the decisions, policies, and
laws that political leaders created and
implemented have had significant effects on
the Filipino people.
One of the most notable memories in the
history of the Philippines that left significant
effects on the people was the country’s
experience of being under the rule of the
military. On September 21, 1972, the former
President Ferdinand Marcos put the entire
Philippines under Martial Law by signing
Proclamation 1081. This was done on the basis
of “lawless elements” whose aims are to
unwilfully take over political and state power in
69
Experiences of Selected University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB)
Community Members during Martial Law in the Philippines
the country, overthrow the government and
change the existing political, social, economic,
and legal order (The Official Gazette of the
Philippines, 2018). These lawless elements are
of the armed movements, especially that of
communist groups whose membership is
strengthened through recruitment from
among the peasantry, laborers, professionals,
intellectuals, students, and mass media
personnel (The Official Gazette of the
Philippines, 2018). These movements were
against various issues, including imperialism,
land reform, price hikes, and poor labor
conditions. There were actions to control these
movements, but these were found to be
inadequate and ineffective to contain the
rebellion and lawlessness. The communist
groups have increased the number and area of
operation of its front organization (The Official
Gazette of the Philippines, 2018). It has also
intensified recruitment and training among the
masses, especially the youth. Consequently,
the Kabataang Makabayan (KM), the
Samahang Demokratiko ng Kabataan (SDK),
and the New People’s Army (NPA) significantly
increased in membership (The Official Gazette
of the Philippines, 2018). There were
establishments of insurgency camps across the
country. School dropouts rise, and students
were thought about to join the insurgency (The
Official Gazette of the Philippines, 2018). A
military vessel carrying firearms was seized and
used against the government. Radical group
sympathizers infiltrated media (The Official
Gazette of the Philippines, 2018). Because of all
of these aforementioned reasons, Ferdinand
Marcos placed the Philippines under Martial
Law by virtue of the powers vested upon him
by Article VII, Section 1, Paragraph (2) of the
Constitution. This has given him the power of
the commander-in-chief, taking over the
Armed Forces of the Philippines. As
commander-in-chief, he had to maintain order
UP LOS BAÑOS JOURNAL
Volume XVIII No. 2 July-December 2020
by preventing and suppressing all forms of
lawless violence as well as any form of
insurrection or rebellion and enforcing
obedience among all citizens (The Official
Gazette of the Philippines, 2018). Moreover, it
also ordered the detention of anyone who will
conduct an exact insurgency or rebellion
against the government (The Official Gazette of
the Philippines, 2018).
The proclamation of Martial Law in 1972
brought changes to the life of millions of
Filipinos. When Marcos placed the country
under Martial Law, Filipinos were deprived of
their civil rights and suffered from presidential
dictatorship and military authority (The
Philippines during Martial Law, 2005). Some
Filipinos might think that the declaration of
Martial Law brought good things to Philippine
society; however, positive statements about
the Marcos regime have also been debunked.
Debates on this issue are also found even in
social media. This is evident in the posts and
comments that can be seen online. Chua (nd)
reveals in his article that the Marcos regime is
actually the darkest period in Philippine
history. When the military was used to control
and force the people, human right violations
became very common. People experienced
different kinds of torture─physical, emotional,
psychological, and sexual (Chua, nd).
The Filipinos under Military Rule
The Philippines underwent a period when
social order was chaotic. There were
insurgencies and social movements. Many
people were fighting for their rights and
freedom.
70
Experiences of Selected University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB)
Community Members during Martial Law in the Philippines
The beginning of Martial Law
During the time of Marcos as president, there
had been a growing dissatisfaction with
political order and economic management. A
University of the Philippines 1984 report
(Martial Law Museum, nd) mentioned the
notoriously growing state-run monopolies,
increasing national debt, and grave corruption
in the country. With these, there were a series
of resignations of former allies of the
government and the firing of Marcos defiants.
This led to the eventual rise of Marcos cronies.
As a reaction, militant protests and student
activism took to the streets the call for social
change. Armed struggle surfaced, especially
during the formation of the New People’s Army
(armed wing of the Communist Party of the
Philippines, CPP-NPA). Marcos has got to find a
way to control the growing communist
insurgency. This had been one of the many
reasons Martial Law was declared. According to
Marcos, the growing number of militants
meant a greater threat to the government.
However, according to the history of NPA,
before Martial Law, there were only around
350 members who made up the group. The rise
in membership of the CPP-NPA was brought
about by the declaration of Martial Law
(Proclamation 1081, 1972 as cited in The
Official Gazette of the Philippines, 2018).
There were other identified precursors to
Martial Law. One of the famous, yet unverified
story, was that of the Jabidah massacre. The
news regarding the massacre of Muslims in
Luzon even more provoked the Muslim
separatist movement. This means that when
there are more insurgencies, there are more
reasons to declare Martial Law. The Plaza
Miranda bombing led to the suspension of the
UP LOS BAÑOS JOURNAL
Volume XVIII No. 2 July-December 2020
writ of habeas corpus, allowing warrantless
arrests to control the communist insurgency
(thought to be the attackers in the bombing). It
was a long prelude to Martial Law (Bantayog ng
mga Bayani, 2015).
The memoir of Juan Ponce Enrile reported that
Enrile was asked by Marcos to study the
powers of a president as the commander-in-
chief under the 1935 constitution (Enrile,
2012). He was then asked to prepare
documents implementing Martial Law in
January 1970 (with Minerva Gonzaga-Reyes).
This was a confidential document. Marcos also
asked Alejandro Melchor and Jose Almonte to
study how Martial Law was done in other
countries and its consequences. The results of
the study tell us that while Martial Law may
accelerate development, in the end, the
Philippines would become a political
archipelago, with debilitating, factionalized
politics. They then concluded that the nation
would be destroyed because, apart from the
divisiveness it would cause, Martial Law would
offer Marcos absolute power, which would
corrupt absolutely (Enrile, 2012).
The shackles of Martial Law
Marcos would claim to lead reforms that would
be beneficial to the country and the Filipino
people. He made the Armed Forces of the
Philippines to be his personal army so he can
maintain his power (Brilliantes as cited in Yu,
2006). In doing this, he made his power
legitimate by constructing extensive fishing
port, hydro-electric dams, and a nuclear power
plant. He even exploited the forest and the
country’s mineral resources, which have led to
the displacement of many Filipinos, especially
71
Experiences of Selected University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB)
Community Members during Martial Law in the Philippines
the marginalized sectors. These projects
affected the masses and benefited the allies of
Marcos (Yu, 2006). It was also mentioned that
resistance was met with repression. Marcos did
not allow the Filipinos to practice their freedom
of speech and assembly and strikes were also
suspended. Additionally, he cancelled all
existing media franchises and made rumor-
mongering punishable by imprisonment.
Furthermore, he consolidated power by
effectively abolishing Congress and holding the
judiciary hostage by forcing them to submit a
resignation letter (Salonga as cited in Yu, 2006).
Many people died during the Marcos regime;
these were the people who revolted against
the military rule. Reyes (2016) reported that
3,257 have been killed by the military during
the Marcos dictatorship. This happened within
a 10-year period, from 1975 to 1985.
Several accounts were published regarding the
situations during Martial Law. Hong (2006)
interviewed Mr. Siasat, a man from Cavite. Mr.
Siasat talked about his memories of Martial
Law. He highlighted the curfew during that
time and how the police had mistreated the
people. He also mentioned that there had been
no proper justice system and this had made the
villainous acts of the president’s allies possible.
Another dark reality during Martial Law was
the existence of a black market. According to
Siasat, people needed money because of
extreme poverty. Child labor existed as well.
One notable statement mentioned was about
the kidnapping of people who go against the
government (Hong, 2006). Quimpo and
Quimpo (2012) also had painful stories about
Martial Law. They stated that seven out of 10
siblings were involved in the revolutionary
UP LOS BAÑOS JOURNAL
Volume XVIII No. 2 July-December 2020
movement since they were fighting against
military dictatorship. Five of them were
arrested and two of them died. The Quimpos
highlighted the struggles faced by their family
and the sufferings brought to them by Martial
Law. Ordonez (2016) also shared that, with the
imposition of the military rule, he had found
himself, together with his wife and son, in
Malaysia with cancelled passports. He received
a letter stating that Filipinos in the United
States were trying to organize anti-Martial Law
groups. They exerted efforts to gather people
and invite speakers to talk about the perils of
Martial Law. Ordonez and his wife also
organized a group of Filipinos and Canadians
and established an anti-Martial Law Coalition
based in San Francisco (Ordonez, 2016).
The University of the Philippines Los
Baños during Martial Law
The University of the Philippines Los Baños
(UPLB) was initially established as the
University of the Philippines College of
Agriculture (UPCA). It was the first unit of the that were rooted in the unfair treatment from
University of the Philippines to open after the
war, with Leopoldo Uichanco as dean
(Bernardo, 2017). Since then, UPCA has been at
the forefront of agricultural research; in the
1960s, 90% of all agricultural research in the
Philippines was conducted at the campus. In
particular, the university has led in
experimentation and knowledge generation on
tropical agriculture up to this moment (OVCRE,
2020). Aside from academic traditions, UPLB
was also known for its peculiarity when it
comes to students' lives on campus. Students
had social events where they could connect During Martial Law, the facilities of UPLB, such
with other students to divert their isolation as the auditorium, cannot be used for |
from their families. These social events
72
Experiences of Selected University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB)
Community Members during Martial Law in the Philippines
included parties organized by different
organizations of students from the same
provinces. During those times, campus-wide
social gatherings were also encouraged
(Lontoc, 2017). However, UPLB experienced
instability from 1970 to1972. During that
period, there was already a movement for
independence. The opposition against the
Marcos regime was gradually being
strengthened. The movement was very active
as UPLB students and employees were joining
labor strikes and demonstrations. UPLB
students staged a 13-day strike against
government policies and increase in oil prices.
Former students of the university reported that
they barricaded the UPLB gate and the national
highway at Los Banos Crossing, causing a traffic
jam. UPLB student activists fought for issues
within and outside the university. When
Martial Law was declared, Marcos began
issuing letters of instruction and presidential
decrees. The University encountered various
academic, administrative, and fiscal problems
Diliman. The issuance of the decrees became
an opportunity for UPLB to be apart from UP
Diliman. The UPLB activists drafted a
presidential decree for converting UPLB into an
agricultural university. This move was
supported by the Southeast Asian Regional
Center for Graduate Study and Research in
Agriculture (SEARCA) and the Department of
Agriculture and Natural Resources (DANR). The
draft was sent to the president on October 14,
1972. The University was then gaining its
strength.
UP LOS BAÑOS JOURNAL
Volume XVIII No. 2 July-December 2020
symposia. Discussions about the political
situation were held in the Humanities steps and
were also encouraged in class (Cinco, 2016). In
1973, the UPLB Perspective, which is also the
first student publication during Martial Law,
was established through the Council of Student
Leaders, with the aim of bringing relevant
issues to students and to the UPLB community
(UPLB Perspective, 2018).
Movements for independence were rising.
Consequently, stories of atrocities, warrantless
arrests, and torture among UPLB constituents
filled the air. There were UPLB activists who
were detained, killed, or simply disappeared.
One of them was Jessica Sales, who taught
Social Sciences at UPLB before being a research
associate in the Department of Agricultural
Education. She is remembered for encouraging
sociopolitical discussion in her class. She
disappeared in July 1977 and, up to now, there
was no official record of her arrest, and her
body was not found (Bantayog ng mga Bayani,
2016). Other UPLB activists who disappeared
were Rizalina Ilagan, Cristina Catalla, Gerardo
Faustino, Aloysius Baes, Rodelo Manaor,
Manuel Bautista, Ma. Leticia Ladlad, and
Modesto Sison (Cinco, 2016; Barahan, 2017).
Six years after the declaration of Martial Law,
UPLB underwent a reorganization as it became
an autonomous university. UPLB started to
improve its organizations and administrative
affairs. Various national centers of excellence
were established (Bernardo, 2017).
Existing speculations about Martial Law
Several speculations still linger in the minds of
many Filipinos, particularly the youth who
never had an experience of Martial Law. Even
73
Experiences of Selected University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB)
Community Members during Martial Law in the Philippines
UPLB students hold different views. In social
networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook,
diverse comments can be seen about Martial
Law and the Marcos regime. The most
apparent of all is related to the burial of Marcos
in Libingan ng mga Bayani and labeling him a
hero. Some say Marcos is a hero, while others
despise him. Other netizens do not take a stand
regarding the issue since they did not
experience living under military authority.
The literature talked about Martial Law in the
Philippines, but none of these explored the
experiences of the UPLB community. This is
what this study offers. It presents different real
life experiences of the UPLB community
members during the Martial Law period. It also
reports how their life has changed as a result of
the implementation of Martial Law. Through
this, the UPLB community at present will have
a better understanding of what happened
among the members of the community in the
past.
Objectives of the Study
As an attempt to make young Filipinos know
about the consequences of Martial Law, this
study aims to explore the experiences of the
people who lived under military authority and
see how those experiences affected them in
various aspects of their lives. It specifically aims
to identify common responses and reactions of
participants to Martial Law, describe the lives
of selected participants before and during
Martial Law in the Philippines as UPLB
constituents during those times, describe how
Martial Law affected the participants, and
lastly, discuss how their Martial Law
experiences affected their perception of the
UP LOS BAÑOS JOURNAL Experiences of Selected University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB)
Community Members during Martial Law in the Philippines
Volume XVIII No. 2 July-December 2020

Philippine government and political leaders at The study is qualitative in nature. The case
present. study research design was utilized in order to
explore the experiences of the participants
during Martial Law. A case study is a qualitative
METHODOLOGY
The study was conducted in the UPLB approach in which the researchers explore a
community. This was chosen for two reasons: bounded system (a case) or multiple-bounded
1) UPLB is an academic institution that involves systems (cases) over time through detailed, in-
people who demonstrate strong political depth data collection involving multiple
engagement and 2) it has members who had sources of information. The researchers view
direct experience of Martial Law. this design as the most appropriate for this
research because it allows the examination of
The participants of this study are those who data, which is most often conducted within the
satisfied the following criteria: 1) born in the context of its use (Yin, 1984), that is, within the
late 1950s and early 1960s and 2) a student or situation in which the activity takes place. The
employee of UPLB during Martial Law. Since data were gathered through in-depth
they were at the university prior to or during interviews with the participants and key
the declaration of Martial Law, they can informant interviews with some UPLB faculty
describe their life before and during this who have vast knowledge in history and know
particular period in Los Baños. They can narrate the community very well.
the changes that happened to them and to the
UPLB community due to the implementation of Thematic analysis was used in processing the
Martial Law. data. The researchers looked for similarities in
the experiences of the participants before and
This study involved 17 participants. These during Martial Law.
selected members of the UPLB community
experienced life under Martial Law (1972- Ethical considerations
1986). The number of participants reached 17 The researchers valued confidentiality and
because the researchers kept on gathering anonymity of the participants in this study. The
data until they reached the saturation point real names of the participants were concealed
and redundancy of responses. Eleven of these and they were assured that all information
participants were males and six were females. gathered through interviews would be used
Majority (12) were students enrolled in either solely for the purpose of this study.
BS Agriculture or BS Forestry. Two were faculty
members, one was a research assistant, and As social scientists, the researchers have prior
the other one was a student who became a knowledge and sentiments about what the
research assistant and a faculty member of the country has experienced during the Martial
College of Agriculture, the former name of the Law period. However, before the conduct of
University of the Philippines Los Baños. the study, the researchers tried to suspend all
their biases and judgment in order to focus on

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UP LOS BAÑOS JOURNAL Experiences of Selected University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB)
Community Members during Martial Law in the Philippines
Volume XVIII No. 2 July-December 2020

the responses of the participants. They made The participants may have entered the
sure to look at both sides of the stories shared
university under different circumstances.
by the participants. They recorded both the However, one common thing about them is
positive and the negative aspects of the that they are all part of the UPLB community
participants’ experiences. who experienced changes in their life due to
military rule. In addition, they all said that their
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION experiences related to Martial Law have effects
The experiences of the UPLB community on how they view the current government.
members were explored in this study. Through
The life of participants before the
key informant and in-depth interviews, the
researchers were able to come up with
declaration of Martial Law in the
narratives that tell how the participants Philippines
experienced Martial Law during Marcos’ The narratives of four participants who
regime. experienced life in UPLB before Martial Law
The story of each participant focuses on their was declared in 1972 were discussed. They
lives, before, during, and after the were the ones who have seen and experienced
implementation of Martial Law. The the simple life in the university before military
researchers were able to explore the rule. It was found that, during that time, many
participants’ family life, work/livelihood, students in the university were already joining
academics, leisure activities, interpersonal rallies in order to promote awareness about
relations, and their quality of life, and how issues related to controversies in the use of
these aspects of their lives were affected by the weedicides that were used in the Vietnam War
implementation of Martial Law in the country. and were tested in the College of Forestry.
Other societal issues such as monopolization of
The participants were born in the 1950s and the economy, corruption in government,
1960s. Four out of the 17 participants imperialism, fascism, and bureau-capitalism
experienced life in UPLB even before Martial were also some of the reasons mass
Law was declared by former President Marcos. movements were then present.
With this, they were able to talk about the life
of students in UPLB, their activities, Other participants in this study were still in high
organizations, and even about the very rural school before the declaration of Martial Law;
setting of the campus during that time. Twelve however, they have already heard social issues,
participants, however, only experienced life in witnessed militarization, and taken part in
UPLB during Martial Law. These were the some social movements. Others were already
students/employees who only entered the aware of the activities of Kabataang
university at the time Martial Law was already Makabayan, and they have already supported
being implemented. Some participants
experienced life in UPLB after Martial Law was some of the activities of the said organization.
lifted. They took part in exposing social issues to the

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Volume XVIII No. 2 July-December 2020
people by giving them pamphlets and by
organizing group discussions. Other
participants mentioned that there were fewer
activities during that period, and students were
more focused on their academics.
Responses and reactions of the
participants to Martial Law
Most of the participants exhibited adverse
reactions when Martial Law was declared.
There were fears and anxieties among them.
They knew that freedom would be restricted
because the military was monitoring their
actions and activities. They had to be cautious
of their actions. However, despite having an
unsafe condition and knowing that their life
was at stake, the participants still came up with
away to make other UPLB community
members aware of the danger and negative
effects of militarization within the campus–
through student activism.
Almost all of the participants had experienced
joining rallies and mass movements in order to
show their resistance to military rule. It was
dangerous for them, but they used strategies
like organizing a quick gathering at the
Humanities steps. Then, after a few seconds of
shouting and yelling, they would immediately
disperse because they knew that they would be
caught by the police or the military. They even
used “pasa bilis” and coding strategies in order
to communicate their message to other
students because group gathering was
prohibited. Another way of conveying
messages was by writing songs and poems that
subtly exposed the Marcos dictatorship. Some
students engaged themselves in teach-ins and
76
Experiences of Selected University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB)
Community Members during Martial Law in the Philippines
discussions about social issues, done secretly in
an apartment or a dormitory.
One unique response that the researchers got
from this study was from one participant who
mentioned that he was positive about Martial
Law. He witnessed the conflict of the military
group and the militant group at Grove; he even
knew that freedom of the people was
restricted during that time. However, for him,
military rule somehow helped in instilling
discipline among Filipinos. Since their actions
were controlled and their activities were
monitored, Filipinos had to be disciplined
enough to prevent themselves from being
arrested and imprisoned. For him, Martial Law
was needed by Philippine society at that time.
However, he also recognized the fact that being
in a state of military rule must not be
permanent. It was just necessary for a given
period of time.
Daily experiences of participants during
the Martial Law period
The narratives of the participants were
analyzed in this study and themes were
identified from various aspects of their lives,
such as family, academics, work, and their
perceived quality of life.
Martial Law and the family life of the
participants
The data gathered from the selected
participants highlighted five themes: family
influence, unaware family members,
concerned family members, supportive family,
and low-income family.
UP LOS BAÑOS JOURNAL
Volume XVIII No. 2 July-December 2020
Family influence: The participants revealed
that some of their family members influenced
their engagement in rallies. Social awareness
and love for country were also values that they
have acquired from their family. These are the
reasons why, during the time of Martial Law in
the Philippines, they had to fight for what they
believe was right. They have observed various
issues in Philippine society, and most of these
affected them, if not, at least their friends or
family members. Many Filipinos were
captured, tortured, and killed under the
military rule; people were deprived of their
rights. For some participants, their knowledge
of the social reality during that period was
actually strengthened through their interaction
with their family members.
Unaware family members: Most of the families
of the participants have no or little knowledge
about their participation and involvement in
social movements and campus activism. Many
of them have experienced joining and leading
rallies, which aimed to criticize the government
and to make the Filipino people aware of the
repression and violation of rights caused by the
implementation of Martial Law. Yet, their
families were not informed about such
activities. One of the reasons was because Los
Baños is far from their places, and there was a
lack of communication technology at the time.
Another reason the participants opted not to
tell their parents about what they had been
doing as members of student organizations and
student council in the university was they did
not want their parents and other family
members to worry about them. Under military
77
Experiences of Selected University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB)
Community Members during Martial Law in the Philippines
rule, the life of the people, particularly those
who were opposing the government, was very
dangerous. They knew that, if their family
would find out about their efforts in promoting
social awareness and opposing the Marcos
regime, their families will get more anxious and
worried about them.
Concerned family members: Some of the
participants’ families knew about their
involvement in rallies and movements inside
the campus, and there was no restriction given
to them by their family. However, it is also
important to note that, despite having no
restriction, there was also no encouragement
given to them to continue their engagement in
activism and/or organizations that promote
social and political awareness. In addition,
concern from their parents or other family
members was still there. The families were still
worried, and they knew that any moment, it
might lead to death. However, since the family
knew that they were fighting for their rights,
they had no choice but to let them continue.
Supportive family: Some of the families of the
participants were supportive of their
involvement in mass movements and student
activism. No adverse reaction was given to
them when the family learned about the teach-
ins and other activist-related actions. This was
because their families knew how important it
was for them and how their efforts could
benefit the Filipino people. One of the
participants shared how her mother helped
through prayers.
“Alam mo sabi ng nanay ko, yung mga
nangyari sa [aking] kabutihan ay
pinagdadasal ko tuwing gabi…sa tingin
niya providential… Tapos kahit
UP LOS BAÑOS JOURNAL Experiences of Selected University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB)
Community Members during Martial Law in the Philippines
Volume XVIII No. 2 July-December 2020

nakabalik na ako sa school, she would Law. They worked as typical employees at the
hear some relatives from Manila university. Lita shared:
praising her, ‘Ang swerte mo may anak
kang ganyan.” [My mother told me that “I’ve been working, yung trabaho ko
she prayed for the good things that medyo okay yung ahh pondo namin,
happened to me, she thought it was maraming pondo for research, research
providential… then, even when I went assistant ako. But ang hindi ko sigurado
back to school, she would hear some is bata pa naman ako noon ehh at tsaka
relatives from Manila praising her minimal naman yung involvement ko sa
“you’re lucky to have a daughter like management.” [I’ve been working, my
her.] job has no problem with funds, there is
a lot of fund for research. I was a
research assistant. I was still a newbie
Poor family: Some of the participants came and hence I had minimal involvement in
from poor families. They knew how difficult life management.]
was during that time, and it became more
difficult because of the oppressive
As to students, they focused on their studies
government. They have experienced having
and worked either as transient aides or student
nothing; that is why they wanted to change
assistants.
their situation.
Activism as practiced at work: For other
For one participant, being a member of a poor
participants, activism was embedded into their
family obliged her to become more focused on
work. For the faculty, they incorporated critical
her studies so she can be financially stable in
discussions about the different social issues
the future. Being poor somehow hindered her
inside the classroom, brought about by
from becoming more involved in social
academic freedom in teaching. However, this
movements because she had to prioritize her
academic freedom was suppressed, and the
academics first as she was thinking of her
situation inhibited them from fully expressing
family’s welfare.
their sentiments about social issues. Also,
Martial Law and the work/livelihood of Martial Law prevented them from
participants incorporating discussions of societal issues in
the classroom since there were individuals who
The data gathered from the selected were secretly observing them. Though there
participants of this study highlighted two was suppression, some of the UPLB employees
themes: 1) no substantial effect on work and 2) were still able to work underground by
activism as practiced at work. supporting the student activists in terms of
monetary and other forms of assistance, such
No substantial effect on their work: Participants
shared that they continued working even if as allowing them to use UPLB facilities and
many changes occurred because of Martial equipment. For students, activism was

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embedded in their role as student leaders.
They promoted students’ social welfare. For
those who have left the university, they were
still active in promoting the rights of the
marginalized sectors, reporting societal issues
to a broader set of audience as part of their job.
Martial Law and the academic life of
the participants
Four themes emerged from the experiences of
the participants: 1) academic as a priority 2)
absence in classes due to participation in
rallies, 3) being academically excellent in class,
and 4) climate of fear.
Academic as a priority: Participants related
that, although they were aware of what was
happening in their surroundings, they chose to
focus on their studies for various reasons. They
said that their parents were observing them,
they want to maintain good scholastic records,
and they look forward to a bright future so they
can help their families. As one of the
participants mentioned:
“Syempre priority mo pa rin school,
‘yung klase mo. Kaya kahit may
meetings, may activities, pagbalik mo
diyan, mag-aaral ka. Lalo na pag may
exam kayo, aba eh alangan namang
hindi ka mag-aral, di bagsak. You are
here because you are studying, not for
the extra-curricular.” [Of course, school
is still your priority. So even if you have
meetings and activities, you will study
when you return especially if you have
exams. You will fail if you will not study.
You are here because you are studying,
not for the extra-curricular.]
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Experiences of Selected University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB)
Community Members during Martial Law in the Philippines
There was also one participant who said that he
was just focused on his studies and not even
aware of what was happening on campus until
student leaders informed other students.
Absence in classes due to participation in social
movements: For some of the participants, their
attendance in class was affected as they
participated in social movements. They
experienced skipping classes. Being part of a
social movement entailed time in as much as
they go to rallies and prepare placards and
other materials to be brought during these
rallies. They also had teach-ins to discuss
societal issues and social realities. One even
experienced leaving the university to go
underground. Mira shared:
“…I got involved in an entrapment
operation by the military. [I] was
helping in the communication of the
movement by that time. But the
circumstances were very light compared
to the stories or after that time…the
head of the arresting team was one of
the PMA graduates na tumira sa
apartment namin…I had my driver’s
license with me, that’s why they were
able to identify me… I was just kept in
the office for about two or three
weeks… Kinonvince nila ako that I have
the capacity, materially and
intellectually, to go back to school and
in that sense they were probably
successful kase na-convince ako to go
back to school and they released me.”
[…I got involved in an entrapment
operation by the military. [I] was
helping in the communication of the
movement by that time. But the
circumstances were very light
compared to the stories or after that
UP LOS BAÑOS JOURNAL Experiences of Selected University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB)
Community Members during Martial Law in the Philippines
Volume XVIII No. 2 July-December 2020

time… the head of the arresting team moments that they were very cautious about
was one of the PMA graduates who what they were going to share in class. This is
once lived in our apartment… I had my because of the fear that once caught by the
driver’s license with me, that’s why they agents, they will be killed. Nonetheless, this
were able to identify me… I was just was not a hindrance to fully engage themselves
kept in the office for about two or three in promoting the rights of the people and to
weeks… they convinced me that I have fight for democracy. They were able to think of
the capacity, materially and other strategies that helped them expose the
intellectually, to go back to school and illness of society.
in that sense they were probably
successful because they’ve convinced Martial Law and the participants’
me to go back to school and they perceived quality of life
released me.]
The data highlighted four themes under
Academic excellence in class: Despite engaging in
social activism and being absent in classes due to
perceived quality of life: 1) climate of fear, 2)
participation in rallies, some participants shared military harassment, 3) suppression of freedom
that they were able to excel in their respective and rights, and 4) poor life condition.
degree programs. Because of their involvement,
they were able to express opinions and share Climate of fear: Just before Martial Law was
insights in classroom discussions. For some, they declared, there was great unrest in society.
believed that to become good student leaders, they Rallies and demonstrations were staples on the
need to become good students first. As mentioned streets. At first, the government practiced high
by Mar:
tolerance for these. But people were already
“Kung kailangan lumiban ka, lumiban afraid—afraid of what is to come. This fear,
ka dahil and priority mo ay yung tulog later on, became overwhelming fear when
ay yung cost na pinapaburan mo so Martial Law was declared. Those who defied
kailangang magpuyat ka, magpuyat ka the government and administration were
pero at the same time ipinapasa namin imprisoned. Some rallyists were tortured.
yung mga subjects namin so at the Some were killed. This is backed up by the
same time oo at the same time nag- study of Hong (2006) that showed no proper
eexcel kami sa klase namin nagta-top justice system under the military rule.
kami sa mga exams.” [If you need not
attend class, then don’t. If you need to
The participants began to fear for their own
be an all-nighter, then go, but at the
lives, their safety, and the safety of the people
same time we pass our subjects, at the
they love. They were careful about what they
same time excel in class, we top the would express because it could be against the
exams.] government. They were afraid to go out in the
streets by themselves because they might be
Climate of fear: Discussions about societal
taken. As Lina said:
issues were incorporated into the class.
However, because of Martial Law, there were

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Community Members during Martial Law in the Philippines
Volume XVIII No. 2 July-December 2020

“Pero alam mo nung time na yun, mo yan sabi niya wag mong bibitawan
talagang nakakatakot. Nakakatakot. yan, kase gagamitin lang ebidensiya
Hindi ka puwedeng… hindi katulad yon. Dinala kami sa ano sa Camp
noong pre-Martial Law na open di Eldridge”. [First, they’ll ransack your
maka-express ka ng [opinion] mo. Ito, house looking for evidences.
hindi. Hindi ka basta [makakapagsalita] Photography was my hobby back then.
kasi hindi mo alam kung sino yung I have a lot of collections of
kaharap mo. Iyan ba ay ahente ng photographs of my children, they’ve
military, kasi may mga spies talaga. searched those, they grabbed all of
May mga dinadampot.” [You know that those including the books in one of my
time really is terrifying. It’s terrifying. teaching subjects, Western Thought 2,
You’re not allowed to… unlike pre- they insisted bringing all of those for
Martial Law that you can still express they will use them as evidence. We
your opinions. After the declaration, were arrested and brought to Camp
you should not just talk, because you Eldridge.]
don’t know who you were talking to, if
it was an agent, because there were Suppression of rights and freedom: During
spies, indeed. There were also people Martial Law, some fundamental rights were
being abducted.] suppressed. According to the participants, the
freedom of speech and self-expression,
Military harassment: Because of the especially talks against the government, were
declaration of Martial Law, the military was forbidden. This is consistent with what Salonga
granted special powers, which included mentioned in Yu (2006), freedom of speech and
warrantless arrests and the right to persecute. assemblies were not allowed during that time.
There was harassment when militant groups
were dispersed. There was harassment when Television networks, radio stations,
people forcibly have taken out of their homes. broadsheets, tabloids and magazines, both
There was harassment in the tortures and national and local, were closed. Only the
extrajudicial killings. Sonny shared his government-run media was left to operate. The
experience related to this: right to assemble was also forbidden. They are
not allowed to gather in groups or they will be
“Hmmm, ira-ransack muna nila yung suspected of treason. Due to the suspension of
bahay mo, mangunguha sila ng the writ of habeas corpus, suspected criminals
ebidensiya. So, ang hobby ko noon ay were subjected to warrantless arrests and
photography so ang dami dami kong court-less trials.
collection ng ano photographs ng
children ko, mga ano ko, hinalungkat Poor life conditions: Consistent with what Hong
nila yan naghahanap sila ng ano, uhhh (2006) reported, poverty was high during that
nagtuturo ako ng political philosophy period. In this research, some of the
na nga Western Thought 2, so may mga participants described the poor living condition
libro ako sa shelf na Mao Zedong, uhhh they experienced and witnessed in the country.
etc. kinuha nila lahat yan, uhh dalhin Prices of commodities were high. There was

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Community Members during Martial Law in the Philippines
Volume XVIII No. 2 July-December 2020

also drought, which contributed to the poor somehow induced psychological effects,
conditions. Lita said: particularly among those who have been
harassed and imprisoned. It was also found out
“Mahirap na yung buhay noon e. Nung that some of these participants had peers and
panahon ng Martial Law, kaya nga family members who were captured, killed, or
andaming na-organize noon e. 20 days never found again. This experience was so
na walang rain. Walang harvest. traumatic that, even until now, for one
Talagang pumipila yung mga tao sa participant, it still has a huge effect whenever
bigas. Nung time na yon. Tapos yung he talks about it.
mga bigas na nabibili nila, may mga
kahalong mga bato. May mga ano. Kasi On the other hand, some of them found Martial
nga, kasi nga walang harvest.” [Life was Law as an instrument that somehow helped the
difficult during the Martial Law period. UPLB community members learn more about
There was no rain for 20 days. There their abilities. Despite being fearful and being
was no harvest. People had to fall in line in an unsafe condition, they became strong and
for rice back then. And the rice that brave to defend their principles. They fought
people buy had some rocks in it. for their rights even if their lives were at stake.
Because there was no harvest.] They became creative and assertive.

One of the participants came from a poor Their academic life may have been affected by
family and shared that it was difficult for him their engagement in rallies and mass
just to survive and thrive in his studies. movements. They may have had to learn how
to manage their time wisely, but, for them, it
The implementation of Martial Law and was a worthy experience because they learned
how it affected the participants many things about social reality outside of the
four corners of the classroom. They learned
The implementation of Martial Law in 1972 more about life by joining these social
affected many aspects of the lives of the movements.
participants. As discussed above, many of
them lived in fear during the Martial Law Amid situational constraints brought by Martial
period. They wanted to express their opinions, Law, the personal disposition of the
but it was not very easy for them to do it, they participants pushed them to be more politically
still had to think of ways to express their active. Despite the violence, repression, and
opinions and subscribe to their principles fear, all of them were able to continue
without being caught by the military. Their performing their different roles (son/daughter,
freedom was restricted, and they had to husband/wife, student, friend, etc.).
experience military harassment.

For many of them who were students when

Martial Law was implemented and even during
those times when Martial Law was lifted, its
effects were still being felt. Martial Law

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Community Members during Martial Law in the Philippines
Volume XVIII No. 2 July-December 2020

Participants’ perception of the proposition to change the constitution, and the

Philippine government and political gradual removal of democratic rights.
leaders at present The findings from this study point to one
participant’s view on education. He hopes that
The participants recognized the idea that their the higher education curriculum will be
Martial Law experiences affected their changed to one that will train students to serve
perception of the Philippine government and the country and not become just technocrats,
political leaders at present. Some of them said a curriculum that will produce students who
that the situation of the country during the will develop technologies out of their genuine
Marcos administration continues to be the care of the people and not for profit. According
same to this day. Extrajudicial killings are still to this participant, the university has a vital role
present, and only a few people have access to in teaching the young not only to be
social resources. There is still social inequality, knowledgeable but also to be someone who
and the system is still serving the elites. They can discern and think scientifically, critically,
even mentioned the song titled “Tatsulok,” and analytically, especially in the presence of
which was originally performed by the activist modern technology.
folk-rock group, Buklod. The song reflects the
social inequality existing in the country. It For most study participants, the Marcos regime
highlights the idea that, as long as those people was a subversion of what was happening today.
in power are still in their position, the system What is happening now is a crime against
will always be the same. As Mar stated: humanity because there is an instigator, which
is the state. The intention was good but the
“So eto naman ang pagsasamantala ng means were not appropriate.
mga nakapwesto, mga kapitalismo at
yung pag bureacrat sila rin yung mga
CONCLUSION
nasa gobyerno na uhhh hawak din nila
yung ano yung ekonomiya noh kaya
may paghihirap na nangyayari”. The experiences narrated by the participants
[Those who are in the political seat are centered on their family, academics, work, and
taking advantage of their position, perceived quality of life. Their experiences gave
including other capitalists, the a clear picture of what life was during the
bureaucrats were the reason we are Martial Law period. Through their narratives,
suffering.] the young generation would be informed of the
hardships faced by many Filipinos who lived
Other participants also mentioned that their under military rule.
Martial Law experiences made them more
critical of the current government. Looking at This particular period in history brought various
the current situation, they see Martial Law experiences to members of the UPLB
coming back, and history is repeating itself— community. Aside from the uncertainties they
news about rampant extrajudicial killings, had in their everyday life, they still faced
challenges that pose restrictions to what could
have been a normal life for them. Though

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holding on for their own lives, they still had to
make vital moves for them to thrive and
succeed in their life aspirations. Despite the
difficulty, they had to live by it and survive.
Students and employees, through their Martial
Law experience, became more critical of the
current government. They believe that the
Duterte administration is merely a repetition of
the Marcos administration. Because of what
they have experienced, it is no longer easy for
them to trust the government. This would
require the Philippine government to exert
extra efforts to gain the confidence of the
Filipino people. There is a need to have more
transparency in the government to avoid
corruption, to ensure due process and thus
avoid unjust treatment and extrajudicial
killings, and more programs or projects that
would really address the needs of the people,
not programs that will be used to further
political interests.
This research is qualitative in nature. It was
able to gather rich information from the
participants. However, it is also good to
conduct quantitative research─i.e., a study that
will correlate these experiences to how these
UPLB community members participate in To the participants of this study, thank you very
political activities and electoral process at much for your time and trust. Your life
present.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
We would like to acknowledge the you.
people/institutions that have been of great
help to us as we nurture our interest in
exploring and understanding the experiences
of the UPLB community during Martial Law in
the Philippines.
To the Office of Initiatives for Culture and the
Arts (OICA) and to the Office of the Vice
84
Experiences of Selected University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB)
Community Members during Martial Law in the Philippines
Chancellor for Research and Extension (OVCRE)
for believing in the importance of this research
and providing funds to make this research
possible.
To Prof. Dwight David A. Diestro, former chair
of the Department of Social Sciences, for
encouraging us to work on this research project
and for helping us find the best people who can
assist us in getting participants for this study.
To Mr. Ronald Vibal and Ms. Aying Villaluz of
the Department of Social Sciences, thank you
for helping us process all the necessary
documents related to the implementation of
this research. You are always there to help and
we want you to know that you are highly
appreciated.
To Mr. Armand Mauricio, who served as our
focal person, thank you so much for helping us
contact the people needed for this study. Your
valuable insights and knowledge about Martial
Law in the Philippines helped us to understand
the Martial Law experiences of the UPLB
community better.
experiences have inspired us to become more
critical of what is happening in our country. We
admire your intelligence, principles, and
bravery. We really learned so much from all of
UP LOS BAÑOS JOURNAL Experiences of Selected University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB)
Community Members during Martial Law in the Philippines
Volume XVIII No. 2 July-December 2020

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3916.html#chapter-0

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Community Members during Martial Law in the Philippines
Volume XVIII No. 2 July-December 2020

The Philippines During Martial Law. 2005.

Retrieved 31 January 2017 from
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